Foot-and-mouth disease: A scenario of reoccurrence for Scotland’s tourism industry

Abstract

This paper considers how a future outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) would be treated and considers the potential reaction by government agencies with particular reference to communication and the management of crises within the tourism sectors. Lessons and experience are drawn from the outbreak of FMD in Scotland in 2001 and reoccurrences in other parts of the world. Two potential scenarios are considered, namely a ‘suspected case’ and a ‘confirmed case’, and the likely consequences of both for the tourism industry of Scotland and the UK are considered.